MENU
 
 

It's easy to get answers about health and nutrition! Just send your question by email to [email protected] and Dr. Harlan will respond to selected questions of general interest. Answers will be posted in the Ask Dr. Gourmet newsletter (sign up now!) and archived in the Ask Dr. Gourmet section of the website.

Please note that the Ask Dr. Gourmet feature is restricted to questions regarding food and nutrition. Due to the many questions we receive, not all questions may be answered. For more specific questions about your individual health, please contact your doctor. About Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy


 

Ask Dr. Gourmet

Why does eating spinach make my tongue and teeth feel funny?

My question is about spinach and specifically, what are the attributes in spinach that makes one's tongue and teeth feel "funny" after eating? I love spinach, but I don't like this after effect and recently I thought, "Hmm, I wonder if Dr. Gourmet knows what causes this?"

Dr. Gourmet Says...

fresh spinach

I have asked a few experts about this and performed a literature search. Neither of these yielded a definitive answer, but there are three possible explanations that came up more than once in my questioning:

1. Iron. Spinach is high in iron and you may be tasting that.

2. Tannins. Spinach, like red wine, is high in tannins. These molecules are the ones responsible for the astringent "puckered" mouth effect.

3. Oxalic acid. (This is the most popular theory.) Similar to tannins, these molecules also have an astringent effect and many describe a "chalky" effect after consuming foods high in oxalic acid.

Thanks for writing,

Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS
Dr. Gourmet